Trial by Intellect [cont. in The Wilds]

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Again!" De'Ville checked her chrono, spinning her lightsaber lazily in an arc as Naj sweated in front of her. He was holding a lightsaber of his own, although not one of his own construction. "Tell me, Naj, why is it that you prize your mind above your...balls?"

The 'saber hummed nonchalantly as it's tip nearly caught him between his legs. "Enough for today." The lightsaber shrank back as she thumbed the control off.

"It is obvious you will never be much of a fighter, but at least you should be able to defend yourself, should it come to a lightsaber duel." De'Ville threw him a towel, but was not, herself, sweating. "Outsmarting the enemy can count for a lot, however, as I am sure you know. So, using your mind to determine when to fight, and when not to..."

She clipped her 'saber to her belt, and casually cracked her knuckles. "The so-called Sith attack always and usually without reason. In that way they are no greater than the mindless beasts that roam outside of these city walls. Jedi attack only when they have to, when their hands are forced. And we...we attack when we want to. Not before, and not after." She looked at his red eyes, and queried, "Do you understand, Arilov?"

[Naj Arilov]

"Completely"

The fact was, Naj wasn't sweating due to exhaustion. While they did have a mild workout, the thought of even one touch from De'Ville's blade was putting him severely on edge. The lightsaber was a very awkward weapon for Naj. There was no weight to it at all, which made it difficult to judge where the blade would go when Naj moved to block.

Then lesson she was giving was something Naj knew too well. He always chose his battles carefully, and the few times he'd made the mistake of underestimating someone he'd taken severe punishment from it.

This was one reason that De'Ville thought him to be so helpless. While he was weak, he was one to always be prepared. With his training, however, he didnt get that luxory, and wouldnt take it if he could. He was here to learn, not conquer.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

De'Ville shook her head slightly. "You are having trouble with the weapon. I think that you would do better with a double bladed lightsaber, as it's shape imitates that of your staff that you favor so much." She shrugged, "I do not have one, however."

Maybe he'd search one out on his own. Or perhaps he'd construct his own...Arilov was uncannily intelligent. Or perhaps he'd do nothing with the suggestion, and she'd again be disappointed. "Anyway, how about you show me your progress on creating a ball of fire, and then we will work on your precognition skills...of which you have hardly any. If you could anticipate your opponent's moves, you would not have such a hard time with lightsaber combat."

[Naj Arilov]

Naj nodded and tucked the saber away into his cloak. Holding out his hands, palms facing each other, as if he were holding something. He started exciting the particles of air, all while keeping them concentrated in the space between his hands. As the tempature rose, Naj decided to try pulling more particles into the ball, instead of contricting the ball itself. Within another few moments, the invisible ball burst into flames. It didnt burn out this time though, as Naj held the concentration, and was steadily filling it with new particles of air...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

She nodded, pleased. "You have improved...but can you move it from above you hand?"

[Naj Arilov]

Naj took a few moments to contemplate on his conjuration, and how would be the best way of moving it. After a few moments, he decided on a procedure to stick with. Focusing on his sphere of concentration, as if it were a physical object, he moved it forward semi swiftly, flying it in a lazy arc until it hit the ground, immediately dissapating and leaving a slight scorch mark on the ground.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Good...you are nearly ready for the final step. Nearly." De'Ville sat on a bench that lined the courtyard they'd been using, motioned Naj over to an adjacent one. "If you had to get into a maximum security compound by yourself, how would you do it?"

[Naj Arilov]

"I dont quite know right off hand. It would take some planning."

Naj quirked his eyebrow a bit at the question. It had come from way out of left field.

"First, I guess I would try to find a way to either shut down or bypass its automated defenses."

[Lilaena De'Ville]

"Shutting down defences often set off secondary alarms. There is always the old trick of disguising oneself as one of the guards. To pull that off, you would need a thorough grasp of mind manipulation.

"Such an undertaking, however, would require more than just brute strength. Lightsaber battle, even, requires more than just the knowledge of how to use a blade. Proper application of the right amount of skill at the right time - this takes intelligence."

She leaned back on her hands, "Intelligence is often mistaken for cowardice, as you well know. However, cowardice is inexcusable. Fear I sense in you when we spar, channel your fear into anger. If you are afraid I am going to lop your head off, then fight back harder, and smarter."

De'Ville stood up, "I think I know where we can find a double bladed saber. Come with me."

[Naj Arilov]

Naj followed with mild interest. He wasn't ruling out the idea, but a lightsaber with two blades seemed to be worse than a single bladed saber, as it provided a risk of Naj killing himself with either end. De'Ville was intent on him learning lightsaber techniques however, and if a dual bladed saber was similar to a staff, it might help him progress a little more quickly.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Lilaena thumbed on her commlink, connecting to Silus. "I am heading for the moon. It is time we did more exploration. Wanna come?"

[Naj Arilov]

Naj furrowed his brows slightly as the answer on the other end of the comm was affirmative. Xilarian seemed to have a special dislike for Naj, and Naj was more than happy to return the favor. Of course, this was what Naj had originally came here for, so he wasnt about to decline the opportunity.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

[continued <a href=http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34279>here</a>]